I’ve been thinking a lot about Alastair Reynolds lately. Specifically about his Revelation Space universe and all of its thematic elements. And while I eventually want to dig into his space of gothic and cosmic horror, I decided I would pick up another of his books that didn’t seem to carry as much controversy within the online space. House of Suns is a standalone novel that reaches insane heights while delivering a grounded, emotional story about humans.
Abigail Gentian grew one thousand male and female clones of herself dubbing them shatterlings. Their mission was to travel the galaxy taking notes of the rise and fall of civilizations as humans spread across the Milky Way. Six million years later, Campion and Purslane, two Gentian shatterlings who have fallen in love, are late for the reunion. However, due to their tardiness they, along with 50 other members of the Gentian line, were not wiped out in a massacre heretofore unseen. It is up to them, along with the surviving members of their group, to find who is trying to wipe them out and why, before it’s too late.
If you have read Revelation Space, House of Suns has a very distinctly different feel to it. Where Space is shrouded in the horrors of long-distance star travel, Suns revels in the glory of a thousand civilizations. The descriptions Reynolds chooses to focus on and the vocabulary he uses feels lighter and grander. I often found myself imagining the systems he tried to paint, something I rarely find myself able to do with ease, but here I couldn’t stop gazing awestruck at the gigantic scope he tries to capture. A scope that is fleshed out in sweeping ways as the narrative jumps back and forth between Campion and Purslane. The Gentian Line itself spawned from a more hopeful vision of science fiction. They exist to collect information and help out where they can, specifically in the construction of stardams to help protect civilizations from supernovae. It’s as big and dreamy as it is wondrous and imaginative, and I got lost in the spectacle.
It doesn’t hurt that Reynolds really feels like he’s flexing some writing muscles in this book. There are three perspectives, all told from the first person. The main two, Purslane and Campion are a treat. It’s a little confusing at first, but Reynolds leaves telltale signs as to who is speaking and does a great job alternating without confusion. They are the quintessential two peas in a pod. You get the feeling that they clearly adore each other despite the taboo nature of their relationship, but there is also friction between their personalities. Campion has a little bit more of a rebellious streak despite his more taciturn nature. Purslane has a more exuberant feel to her in the beginning even though she’s more of a crowd pleaser. It makes for good chemistry as the harder decisions have to be made further into the story. The third perspective is that of Abigail Gentian from the past as she details her life leading up to the creation of the shatterlings. Reynolds sections his books into parts and uses Abigail to introduce each section while setting up a framing narrative. And let me tell you, Reynolds goes fucking hard in these sections. What could have easily been layups given the history that unfolds, he did not need to make these sections as insanely pertinent as they are. The book still would have been good if they were sub-par, but honestly these sections send the whole story into the stratosphere for me.
The other characters are great too. Hesperus, of the machine people, really goes through one, and the dedication of Campion and Purslane to his well-being is heartrending. The various leaders within the remaining Gentian line fill out the more conflicting roles nicely, though they have less character, though to be fair it didn’t ruin the illusion. The only thing that really puts a damper on all the interactions is that sometimes I could see the dialogue pattern that begins to develop between the characters. It’s not a particularly bad one, but having many conversations devolve into a debate over what needs to be done starts to get noticeable when it happens every other chapter. Again, it’s more noticeable than bad.
Where House of Suns truly succeeds, in addition to previous praise, is that it all leads to something spectacular. Watching civilizations wink in and out of existence over millions of years really would do something to a mother fucker, and the Gentians, despite their strong front to say otherwise have felt that weight. In some ways, their massacre at the hands of the clandestine shadows is a story of atonement. Yes, that old beast that has been hounding me in the pages of every book I read. Crimes have been committed, memories have been tampered, and people have been forgotten. The machine people are also a real treat, and how Reynolds explores the nature of AI and humans’ relationship with it is one I won’t forget. Granted, this was written in 2008, but it’s a strong attempt to deal with the question of “are they just going to murder us?” I have a soft spot for those cold machines, and seeing someone care for and treat one as a friend they would go to the ends of the universe to help just really made me feel something. Not to mention the ending made me cry in a way I did not expect. Reynolds is very good at scope within this book. He starts small, goes big, and slingshots right back into the small in a way that provides closure and does not jar the stakes one bit. It’s a beautiful dance and I’m glad I was able to witness it.
House of Suns is a fantastic novel that resembles some of the older golden age science fiction it draws from. It’s a big story, with both high and low stakes that surrounds mostly two people and their place in the galaxy. It grapples with the crimes of the past, and how those sores fester when they are hidden by the people who perpetrated them. And it tries to see what it might be like to exorcise those demons and start anew, while realizing you never truly have a fresh slate. If you think that Revelation Space might be too heavy, House Of Suns is the perfect introduction to Reynolds if you want big sweeping futures without all the darkness.
Rating: House of Suns – It’s not too late to wake up early and catch the sunrise.
-Alex
